


In Any Other Universe

by JET_Playin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-31 06:42:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13969527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JET_Playin/pseuds/JET_Playin
Summary: Harry and Draco are both gifted. With the right support and motivation, they'll do great things.





	In Any Other Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So, I've been toying with the idea of writing a high-school au for a while. Unfortunately, this is not it. One day, I'll get there. For now, this is a little snippet of what that could be, and I got to incorporate a personal headcannon of what Hogwarts would be in the muggle world :D Enjoy!
> 
> Edit: aaah! I'm terrible, I'm so sorry! A huge thank you to jeni_andtheafterthought for beta'ing this fic! I'm so sorry, dear, I've been completely scatter brained for weeks. 
> 
> Disclaimer:I don't own Harry Potter or the other one :p (lol, totally let my phone auto-fill that disclaimer XD)

Hogwarts, School for the Gifted. Like the school in X-Men. That was what Draco Malfoy thought when he was eleven years old, leaving home to attend the boarding school. His father was so proud; Draco was following a long and honourable family tradition, after all, being clever enough to attend. Now, it sounded more like some sort of delinquent program. 

Casting a reluctant gaze across the Great Hall, he tried to muster some of that same pride. It wasn't easy, not when Weasley threw back his head to swallow as much pumpkin juice as possible. How that prat was accepted remained a mystery, although his family seemed to ascribe to the same age old tradition the Malfoys did, as was evidenced in the presence of half the Weasley brood dotting the Gryffindor tables. 

Of course, every student at Hogwarts was gifted… otherwise they wouldn't have been admitted. Draco snorted at the thought. He knew perfectly well what his father paid for his admittance. The only people at the school on their own merits were Hermione Granger and, arguably, Harry Potter. 

Potter was gifted, absolutely, but his gifts weren't entirely scholastic. He was a decent enough student in certain courses, namely physical fitness and, oddly enough, linguistics. Even so, there was no question about why he was granted a slot in the school. His father was a revered rugby player, and it was clear Potter would follow in his footsteps from the moment he took the field.

There were, of course, plenty of other gifted students. Their fields were varied and undoubtedly admirable, but there remained a great number who, like Draco, had to put everything they had into maintaining their spot, if only out of pride. They couldn't all be Newt Scamanders or Fred and George Weasleys. 

The bell sounded, dragging Draco's attention away from the Gryffindor table and back to the present. Abandoning his toast, he gathered his chemistry books and headed toward the first class of his last year within the castle walls. 

-

With a long suffering sigh, Harry leaned back, away from the library table and the Dead Languages homework that tormented him. Of course, he'd expected seventh year to be hell, but Advanced Theoretical Atlantean was, by far, the most difficult language he'd ever had to learn. 

If only to give his eyes a bit of a rest, he turned to study his friends instead. Ron and Hermione were the best mates a bloke could ask for, had been ever since first year when the professors set up a surprise practical exam in the form of a zombie outbreak on Halloween night. Harry still got the odd chuckle out of that, even though he nearly shit his pants when faced with the very believable results of the art departments seventh years. Poor Hermione still glared every time someone brought up the subject. 

There was one person at Hogwarts who took some getting used to, in Harry's experience. Draco Malfoy started off on the wrong foot and seemed unable to right that as time went on. 

Apparently, he was related to Harry's godfather, Sirius. That could have been a bonding realisation except… Well, Sirius didn't like his family - for good reason, in Harry's opinion - and they didn't like him. Harry had been standing beside a snotty blond as he was fitted for his school uniform when Sirius popped his head in, holding up two ice cream cones excitedly. 

Malfoy, the spoiled prat that he was, spoke up in a posh drawl. “I know that man,” he said. “Mother, isn't that Sirius Black?” Turning to Harry, he affected a stage whisper. “He's Mother's cousin. Quite unsavory, so I've been told.”

Harry reacted immediately, scowling. “He's my godfather,” he informed the boy, puffing out his chest in pride. “And he isn't unsavory; he's magnificent.”

Chuckling, Madam Malkin withdrew her needle and thread, then gave Harry a pat on the head. “That's you finished, dear. I'll have these ready for you in a week.” 

Harry smiled as she helped him out of the fitting blazer, then hopped down from his little stool and ran to Sirius just as Remus joined him. He didn't spare a glance back into the shop. 

For years afterward, it seemed as if every encounter with Malfoy was doomed to end roughly the same way. They were always at odds. In some ways, Harry even felt they were like two sides of the same coin. Or, he used to. 

Glancing up, he scanned the library until he found the pale head, bowed over a large tome in the far corner of the massive room. He couldn't see Draco's face but knew it was likely drawn in concentration as he worked through some chemical compound that would give any working scientist a splitting headache. 

Draco thought he wasn't gifted. Harry thought he was mad. 

Rising, he mumbled a goodbye to Hermione and Ron, gathered his books, and wound his way through the sea of students. 

-

Draco looked up, a little dazed, when a book bag landed on his table, startling him and sending his mental calculations scattering. He frowned when Harry dragged a chair out from the table and plopped himself into it, without an invitation. The cheeky bastard. 

“What do you want, Potter?” he asked, nonchalantly returning his attention to his book. 

“What do you think I want?” Harry asked and, although he couldn't see his face, Draco knew an eyebrow wiggle when he heard one. 

“I'm studying,” he sighed. He knew he would give in, but he had no intention of making it easy. When he deigned to lift his gaze again, Harry was pouting, looking longingly through the enormous window several feet away. “No, Potter. No puppy eyes. Don't make me say it again.”

“But Draco,” Harry whinged. “It's so lovely outside. Just a quick walk, then you can go back to your potions.”

“They aren't-” Biting his tongue, Draco didn't bother finishing his sentence. No matter how many times he tried to explain it, Harry insisted on calling chemistry “potions.” Which was ridiculous. There was nothing magical about what he did. “Fine.”

Harry perked up immediately, and Draco ignored the way his heart clenched and his stomach fluttered. He was a chemist, for fuck’s sake, he knew what was happening and there was no reason to dwell on it. Standing, he shuffled his notes and books into something resembling order, then threw his book bag over his shoulder. 

“I suppose you want to play fetch, as well?”

“Shut up,” Harry groaned, but he was smiling. 

They were quiet as they made their way onto the grounds, shoulders bumping occasionally. When they reached their usual tree, Draco dropped his bag and turned to look out over the lake while Harry dropped himself to sit next to the bag. 

“C’mon, Draco,” he said, reaching out to catch Draco's hand and tug him to the ground. “We won't have many more days like this. Let's enjoy it, yeah?” He met Draco's eyes, held them as he linked their fingers. “I'm going to lose you to studying soon enough. Just sit with me.”

Softening, Draco complied, squeezing Harry's hand and leaning into him. “I'm sorry, Harry. It's the pressure. School's almost over, and I've so much to do. Father is still expecting me to fail, of course.”

“You won't,” Harry murmured, dipping his head to press a kiss to Draco's temple. 

Draco signed. “While I appreciate your faith in me, I don't feel that's entirely logical.”

“Oh, but it is,” Harry insisted, suddenly sitting up straight and dislodging Draco in the process. “Because, no matter what you do, you'll be brilliant at it.”

Draco scoffed. That was what Harry always said. “What if I wanted to be a barista?” he asked, smirking. 

“You'd be brilliant.”

“Hmm. A mechanic?”

“Brilliant. And also hot.”

Laughing, Draco leaned into the hand Harry lifted to his cheek. “What if I wanted to play rugby, professionally?” 

Now, Harry laughed as well. “Well, I suppose one of us should, and it won't be me.”

“You'd be brilliant at it,” Draco smirked, pleased when Harry's cheeks darkened. “You are brilliant at it.”

“I know,” he said, grinning that ridiculous, lopsided grin of his and brushing his nose against Draco's as he shifted closer. “But I'm decided.”

“I know you are,” Draco said, laughing. “Doctor Potter. You're going to be brilliant at that, too.”

“Not as brilliant as you,” Harry murmured, clearly losing track of the conversation. 

Closing the last of the distance between them, he captured Draco's lips and the breath that whooshed through them. No matter how many times Harry kissed him, every one left Draco breathless. 

If someone had told him, years ago, that he'd be sitting under a tree beside the lake, snogging Harry Potter before he'd even turned seventeen, Draco would have scoffed. They didn't start off on good terms. In any other universe, they could have been actual enemies. But not here, not now. Here, Harry was going to be the one to discover Atlantis, and Draco was going to name a new element after himself. 

At least, that was the plan. For now, their only goal was the happiness they found in each other. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Remember, kudos are love and comments validate my existence! ❤️❤️❤️


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